Remembering 9/11

This is the hardest thing I have had to write on this blog thus far. I have written a paragraph and deleted it about 5 times now and I'm even more lost than I was before. But, I suppose a day like today isn't supposed to be easy to write about. It should be difficult to swallow and emotionally arduous. Sure, it would be easy (and, perhaps, even accepted) to write a long piece condemning the "2 million" bikers riding to DC in protest of the Muslim march. I could point out that the event being organized by these Musims, the Million American March Against Fear, is a show of solidarity rather than an attempt to create a rift between the cultures. But these criticisms and observations, however innocent, would be an insult to what this day is really about.

Some of the victims on that fateful day 12 years ago were bikers, I'm sure. Some were Muslims. But that's not what we remember about them. We remember them as people who were wrongfully murdered by madmen. We remember the 2,606 people who perished when the World Trade Center was hit and the 125 who died in the Pentagon. We remember that 87 people died aboard Flight 11, 59 people died aboard Flight 77, and 60 people died aboard Flight 175. We remember the 40 valiant men and women of Flight 93 who fought back, saving countless lives. We remember the numerous first responders who showed up to help immediately after the attacks and we remember the citizens of New York City who worked together to find some light in one of the darkest days of human history.

It may be 12 years after the fact, but we are still feeling the effects of September 11, 2001. Only three years ago, a 9/11 First Responders Bill was filibustered by the Senate GOP. Luckily, a revised version was eventually passed, giving out health benefits to many policemen, firefighters, and other emergency personnel who are still suffering health problems from being on the scene immediately after the attack.

If you are in New York City or nearby, I urge you to stop by the 9/11 Memorial and take a minute to just let it sink in. I don't say this in an attempt to shame people into emotion, but to urge respect for the thousands who need to be remembered over the sounds of protests and motorcycles. You don't have to march or protest or even write a blog post today. Today, you just need to remember.

(Thanks for reading my blog, guys. Please share this post with your friends and family. It was heavy hitting today and there wasn't an ounce of wit, but I felt it would be inappropriate to try and turn anything concerning today into something I could mock.)